SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 850

In Memory

of

Jimmy Dean

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas honors and commemorates the life of Jimmy Dean, who died June 13, 2010, at the age of 81; and

WHEREAS, Jimmy Dean overcame childhood poverty and a lack of formal education to become one of the most recognized faces in the country as an iconic country singer and entertainer and as spokesman for the successful sausage company that bore his name; and

WHEREAS, Jimmy Dean was born August 10, 1928, and grew up in Plainview; his mother taught him to play piano and he went on to pick up guitar, harmonica, and accordion; he dropped out of school after the ninth grade to join the United States Merchant Marine, where he spent two years before enlisting in the United States Air Force; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dean began his musical career while serving at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, sitting in at a local bar for a fiddler who had called in sick; by the early 1950s, he was the frontman for the Texas Wildcats, playing on the radio and at county and state fairs; and

WHEREAS, He recorded his first hit song in 1953 and in 1961 recorded "Big Bad John," a song about a miner who died saving his fellow workers in a mine collapse that spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard charts; he hosted a variety show on the ABC television network from 1963 until 1966 and appeared in several television series and films, including the James Bond thriller Diamonds Are Forever; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dean headlined at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl and was the first country star to play on the Las Vegas strip; he was the first guest host on The Tonight Show and recorded several more hit songs, including "P.T. 109," "Sam Hill," and "I.O.U.," a spoken-word song dedicated to his mother; he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010; and

WHEREAS, He created the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in Plainview in 1969 and for more than three decades served as its spokesman on television, representing its products with his Texas charm; and

WHEREAS, A man of honor, strength, and determination, he will long be remembered for his generous spirit and his many accomplishments, which have enriched the culture of our state and nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life and legacy of Jimmy Dean; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in memory of this hometown Texas icon, and that when the Senate adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jimmy Dean.

Duncan

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 3, 2011, by a rising vote.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate